FanDuel NBA DFS Lineup Picks (4/16/21): Daily Fantasy Basketball Advice

April 16, 2021

Stan Son highlights the top FanDuel NBA DFS lineup picks for 4/16/21, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.

We've got a ten-game slate for Wednesday. No teams are playing the second leg of a back-to-back.

There are three games at 7:00 pm (NO @ WAS, OKC @ DET, and LAC @ PHI), two games at 7:30 pm (ORL @ TOR and CHA @ BKN), three games at 8:00 pm (MEM @ CHI, MIA @ MIN, and DEN @ HOU), one game at 8:30 pm (POR @ SA), and the late-night hammer at 10:00 pm is NY @ DAL.

Here are my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 4/16/21. You can also check out today's DraftKings lineup picks. Keep an eye on Rotoballer’s injury news to stay up to date before lineups are locked.

FanDuel DFS Guards

Russell Westbrook, PG - vs. NO ($11,300)

Westbrook is a fantasy god. He's scored at least 60 FD points in five of the last 10 games with a high of 88.3. He's triple-doubled in six straight games. Now he faces a Pelicans team that is 28th in defensive efficiency and boosts the FPPM to point guards by 8.1% above league average.

Frank Jackson, PG - vs. OKC ($3,500) 

Cory Joseph, Dennis Smith Jr., Wayne Ellington, and Rodney McGruder are all out today so the backcourt minutes have to go somewhere. Saben Lee, Killian Hayes, and Hamidou Diallo are the last men standing so Jackson should get plenty of run. With Jerami Grant out, Josh Jackson will likely play forward minutes. On the season, Jackson is averaging 0.69 FD points per minute.

Fred VanVleet, SG - vs. ORL ($7,400)

Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam, and OG Anunoby are out while Gary Trent Jr. and DeAndre' Bembry are questionable. VanVleet is going to play a ton of minutes and should soak up as much usage as he can handle.

Yuta Watanabe, SG - vs. ORL ($3,500)

Why the hell is Watanabe a shooting guard? Crazy. Anyways, the Raptors are going to be short-handed so Watanabe should get plenty of run in this one. He averages 0.85 FD points per minute.

Also consider: Terry Rozier ($7,000), RJ Hampton ($3,700), Bradley Beal ($8,400), Hamidou Diallo ($4,100)

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FanDuel DFS Forwards

Brandon Ingram, SF - at WAS ($8,300)

Ingram has gone for 44.1, 55.7, and 41.8 FD points in the last three games. The usage rate has been 33, 34, and 31. Now he gets one of the juiciest matchups for fantasy, the Washington Wizards, who play at the fastest pace in the league and are 26th in defensive efficiency.

Stanley Johnson, SF - vs. ORL ($3,500)

Johnson is averaging 0.69 FD points per minute but should get plenty of playing time with Operation Tank in full effect down in Toronto/Florida.

Zion Williamson, PF - at WAS ($10,000)

Zion has gone for 50.1, 43.2, 56.8, and 65 FD points in the last four games. Now he gets a Wizards team that is 1st in pace and 26th in defensive efficiency. 1+1=2.

Khem Birch, PF - vs. ORL ($4,000)

Started the last game and will likely start this one, as the Raptors are resting essentially everyone. Interestingly, Birch started at center last game while Chris Boucher started at power forward. Birch has played 29 and 25 minutes the last two games and contributed 28.7 and 28.4 FD points. He should get close to 3o minutes in this one.

Also consider: Michael Porter Jr. ($7,400), Garrett Temple ($3,500), Julius Randle ($9,200), Sekou Doumbouya ($3,500)

FanDuel DFS Centers

Nikola Vucevic, C - at MEM ($9,000)

With Zach LaVine out, Vucevic should see a significant usage bump increase. Since arriving in Chicago, that number has been at 28. It should be well over 30 now. Vucevic is averaging 1.39 FD points per minute and gets one of the best matchups for centers as the Grizzlies boost the FPPM by 11% above league average, third-most generous.

Wendell Carter Jr., C - at TOR ($6,000)

Carter Jr. has seen the minutes increase by two in each of the past five games. In the most recent game, he played 31 minutes and produced 47.4 FD points. Mo Bamba was out and is questionable for this one. If he were to miss, then WCJ should see over 30 minutes again. Since arriving in Orlando, he's averaged 1.18 FD points per minute.

Also consider: Nikola Jokic ($11,000), Moses Brown ($5,400)

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis